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The first week of the 2021 NFL regular season schedule is out and the Los Angeles Rams were one of the featured teams, as expected.
For the second year in a row, the Rams will be hosting Sunday Night Football in Week 1 and this time the guest will be the Chicago Bears airing live on NBC on Sept. 12. Welcome back to SoFi Stadium again to the Sunday Night Football crew!
The news was announced on NBC’s Today show early Wednesday morning and quickly confirmed by the Rams.
Week 1. Sunday Night Football. @SoFiStadium.
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) May 12, 2021
Join us under the lights! » https://t.co/t0L3FXpeU7 pic.twitter.com/VsKmFl8dqw
Week 1 - Bears at Rams
Date - Sunday, September 12, 2021
Time - 5:20 p.m., PT
Channel - NBC
The NFL wanted to spend a lot of time last season showcasing the new $5 billion home of the Rams and Chargers, as well as the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with the Raiders, but the coronavirus pandemic meant that there would be no fans at those games. And that’s not quite the same. This season, expect the NFL to double down on their commitment to SoFi Stadium and that was abundantly obvious with this Week 1 home game against one of the most popular draws in the league.
If Justin Fields wins the starting job out of preseason, then it’s even better for NBC’s ratings, but Matthew Stafford’s debut in LA against a former division foe will do plenty to get attention on its own. Either way it is a win for the network.
Last season, the Rams opened SoFi Stadium with a 20-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Later in the year, they also hosted the Bears in their news stadium — beating Chicago 24-10 in a Week 7 Monday Night Football contest a season ago. Let’s hope both of these results bode well for the Rams in Week 1 this year.